Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
We don’t have an overabundance of albums this week compared to the last few, but we’re not lacking in anything noteworthy. Summer touring season is wrapping up, so you’ll be seeing some albums drop off in preparation for the roller coaster that is the last four months of the year (damn, are we there already?). You know the drill; a bunch of bands push out albums between September and November, and now we have what is going to be one of the biggest albums of the year for metal and music in general. So if you thought this year was crazy for metal album says, just you wait.
Notable Debuts:
The Amity Affliction, This Could Be Heartbreak (Roadrunner)
Debut #12
12,700 sold
The fifth album from the Aussie metalcore act is their best debut yet on the charts, outdoing their 2014 release.
Various Artists, The Depression Sessions (Nuclear Blast)
Debut #77
2,675 sold
This EP features Thy Art Is Murder, Fit For An Autopsy, and The Acacia Strain.
Equilibrium, Armageddon (Nuclear Blast)
220 sold
The band’s fifth album makes its debut.
Notable Sales:
Skillet, Unleashed (Atlantic)
#15 (from 2)
11,875 sold
A 79% drop doesn’t take this down far in a damn good second week.
Disturbed, Immortalized (Reprise)
#19 (from 7)
11,075 sold
A 20% drop, but that’s nothing after the jump back into the top 10 last week.
Five Finger Death Punch, Got Your Six (Prospect Park)
#82 (from 85)
2,325 sold
At week 50, this has sold nearly 385,000 copies total.
Deftones, Gore (Reprise)
#84 (from 54)
2,300 sold
A 42% drop, but it’s still doing well after last week’s boost.
Volbeat, Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie (Universal)
#86 (from 73)
2,275 sold
A 27% drop as this boogies closer to the 100,000 mark.
Breaking Benjamin, Dark Before Dawn (Hollywood)
#94 (from 144)
2,075 sold
A 44% boost. More like Boosting Benjamin, huh?
Various Artists, 2016 Warped Tour Compilation (SideOne Dummy)
#101 (from 74)
1,925 sold
The tour may be over, but this still has some life left in it even after a 37% drop.
Chevelle, The North Corridor (Epic)
#104 (from 80)
1,875 sold
A 30% drop with over 50,000 sold.
Shinedown, Threat To Survival (Atlantic)
#123 (from 139)
1,625 sold
An 8% boost is shiny.
Crown The Empire, Retrograde (Rise)
#129 (from 96)
1,575 sold
A 21% drop. Not quite a crowning achievement.
Jackyl, ROWYCO (Mighty Loud)
#151 (from 55)
1,350 sold
A 66% drop in week two.
Pierce the Veil, Misadventures (Fearless)
#161 (from 145)
1,275 sold
A 9% drop.
Meytal, Alchemy – Live (Light Drop)
#162
1,275 sold
I’m not sure if this is the real debut or not, but it doesn’t really matter since it was a limited release so you can’t go out and buy it anyway.
Periphery, Periphery III: Select Difficulty (Sumerian)
#187 (from 146)
1,075 sold
A 23% drop with just under 20,000 sold.
Carnifex, Slow Death (Nuclear Blast)
#193 (from 29
1,025 sold
An 84% drop in week two.
Rob Zombie, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (UMe)
#200 (from 174)
920 sold
This is sitting right at the bottom after a 20% drop.
Russian Circles, Guidance (Sargent House)
750 sold
A 79% second week drop.
Revocation, Great is Our Sin (Metal Blade)
410 sold
A 32% drop.
Despised Icon,
Stitched Up Heart, Never Alone (Another Century)
340 sold
A slight 4% drop.
Meytal, Alchemy (Light Drop)
320 sold
Looks like the people who didn’t get her live album opted for the studio LP instead.
Ice Nine Kills, Every Trick In The Book (Fearless)
760 sold
An 58% drop. We’ll see if their headlining tour brings more numbers.
Islander, Power Under Control (Victory)
310 sold
A 76% drop in week two.
Thank You Scientist, Stranger Heads Prevail (Evil Ink)
300 sold
A 23% drop. No, thank you.
The New Low, Continuance (Razor & Tie)
290 sold
A 44% drop down low.
Nails, You Will Never Be One Of Us (Nuclear Blast)
270 sold
A 19% drop. Also, it’s been a month since the band suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.
Wage War, Blueprints (Fearless)
270 sold
An 18% drop. Uh, sport the war?
Scour, Scour (Housecore)
250 sold
This gets a nice 34% boost.
Black Crown Initiate, 
Fates Warning,
Rival Sons, Hollow Bones (Earache)
240 sold
A 12% drop with over 11,000 sold.
Red Sun Rising,
Blues Pills, Lady in Gold (Nuclear Blast)
230 sold
A 73% drop in week two.
Tarja, The Shadow Self (Earmusic)
230 sold
This also takes a drop in week two for 70%.
Ghoul,
Infant Annihilator, The Elysian Grandeval Galèriarch (Self-Released)
200 sold
A 34% drop.
Through Fire,
Whitford St. Holmes, 
